Release Your Inner Critic

  There are generally 3 types of critic: The Professional Critic, The Armchair Critic, and the Social Critic. The word critic is usually associated with Professional Critics, or critics of pop culture – movies, music, and literature. They offer their opinion, which is presumably (hopefully) tempered with experience and refined sensibilities, as a means to make a living. While they may irritate artists, particularly when their criticisms aren't flattering, they do serve a useful purpose by helping the rest of us to avoid the “fluff” that makes up a large portion of pop culture, allowing us to spend our precious leisure time appreciating the art that truly deserves our attention.

  Then, there are of course the Armchair Critics. These are regular people, who mostly enjoy criticism for its own sake, and who do not serve any useful purpose. While this type may think their tastes are worth sharing, this is, in my experience, typically not the case. These are people who, rather than helping to elevate the tastes of others, criticize more as a means of making themselves feel better about their own lack of any discernible talent. It is always easier to criticize than to create, and the reason this group is particularly irritating to most people is that all they offer is criticism, rarely constructive, and without putting forth any better alternatives. This essentially boils down to useless whining.

  Finally, there is the Social Critic, the sort that I'm talking about. Overall, They are not Professional, as they only occasionally concern themselves with pop culture, and are rarely paid for their observations. Nor are they Armchair Critics, because they are, as a rule, genuinely informed about the subject matter, and do offer constructive criticism, paired very often with alternative visions of how things might be. The Social Critic, as the name implies, is concerned with issues that run deeper than most of those addressed by pop culture – politics, education, crime, religion and other social issues. I believe that they are the most useful, as they are most needed in order to have a functional and vibrant democracy. Unfortunately, they are also the very type that is most lacking in many societies today. This is the sort of critic I aspire to be, and encourage others to become – one who can recognize deficiencies in our policies, and through public criticism of these flaws, spur the kind of debate that in turn stimulates change.

  Critics are important because discussion and debate are core components of any evolving society. Without these, societies cease adapting to the times, fall into dogmatic repetition of old mistakes, and ultimately crumble from within. Fear of criticism is the ultimate weakness of dictators and despots for this very reason, and the reason why such regimes all ultimately fail. Journalists used to play the role of Social Critic, but in this they are increasingly losing their backbone, afraid of being excluded should they ask difficult questions. The competitive nature of journalism makes this an inevitable problem unless every journalist sticks to their principles, but it seems clear that principles are less important in journalism today than they were in the past...one look at FOX News should be ample evidence of that. Partisan politics is taking priority over objective truth in many cases, which results in journalism barely worthy of the title, and public discussion that solves nothing because it asks all the wrong questions. This is where the new Social Critic comes in...the blogger, the private observer of the public sphere, the voice from the crowd. With no career or political agenda to advance, such “citizen journalists” can be objective in a way that many professional journalists can't, and honest in a way that public figures often shy away from. Political correctness has no place in either a meaningful debate or an interesting blog, and this is but one of the many reasons why the internet is a unique and powerful tool to promote free speech.

  Of course, the internet is full of Armchair Critics...or “trolls”, as they are better known online. It is human nature to voice an opinion even if it is loosely informed, and to avoid admitting a mistake at all costs. This type of discourse dominates the internet, because the anonymity it offers lends itself to obnoxious behaviour. However, on some level we all value the truth, and for some of us this is far more important than getting our two cents in at every opportunity. When we place value and emphasis on objective truth, and when important issues are discussed without anonymity, we can use criticism to burn through the bad ideas, and collaborate to find new and better ones.

  Criticism indeed has some negative connotations because it is essentially making fun of bad ideas. Some ideas, however, deserve to be made fun of. We have to get past the idea that we should never offend anyone, as if being offended gives us some sort of special right or bargaining chip with which to hold the rest of society hostage to our opinions. Sometimes the only way to break down bad ideas is to relentlessly criticize them, regardless of how offended this may make the people who try to prop them up. The Flat Earth, Earth as the centre of the universe, slavery – these are all bad ideas that fell under a relentless assault from informed critics. Ideas which were once considered sacred or core philosophies have been tossed into the dustbin of history, and rightly so, because enough people spoke out against them. Bad ideas often cloak themselves in a layer of righteousness in order to deflect criticism, but being aware of this tactic can help us to immunize ourselves against it. If everyone simply asked questions, relentlessly, where questions are merited, our society could rid itself of bad ideas in no time at all.

  If you desire a life in a free society, one which is modern, just and well-off, being an informed Social Critic is the most productive way to make that happen. Social injustice happens everywhere, all the time, but where leaders know that the people will hold their feet to the fire it happens a lot less. An empowered, educated, and above all vocal population are the ultimate antidote to oppression and bad ideas, and a fertile ground where new ideas can grow. Don't be afraid to be offensive if required – if you're right, people will still respect you, and if they don't, then they're not worth worrying about anyway. In the end, you will accomplish far more and influence many more people if you speak your mind than if you stay silent. There is plenty of time for silence in the grave.